Heat-assisted recording head having subwavelength mirror formed of first and second materials

ABSTRACT

A recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. The near-field transducer extends a first distance away from the media-facing surface. A waveguide overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a first material at the media-facing surface and a liner that covers an edge of the mirror.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/855,047 filed on Apr. 22, 2020, which claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/839,863 filed on Apr. 29, 2019, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a heat-assisted recording head having subwavelength mirror formed of first and second materials. In various embodiments, a recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. The near-field transducer extends a first distance away from the media-facing surface. A waveguide overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface and extend a second distance away from the media-facing surface that is less than the first distance. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a first material at the media-facing surface and a liner covering the first material at an edge of the subwavelength focusing mirror that faces the near-field transducer. The first material is more mechanically robust than a plasmonic material that forms the liner.

These and other features and aspects of various embodiments may be understood in view of the following detailed discussion and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The discussion below makes reference to the following figures, wherein the same reference number may be used to identify the similar/same component in multiple figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slider assembly according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a slider along a down-track plane according to according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a wafer plane view of a slider according to an example embodiment;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective and plan views of a subwavelength mirror according to an example embodiment;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sets of graphs showing simulation results of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective and plan views of a subwavelength mirror according to another example embodiment;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are sets of graphs showing simulation results of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a subwavelength mirror according to another example embodiment;

FIGS. 13-17 are perspective cutaway views of protrusions of a subwavelength mirror according to various example embodiments; and

FIG. 18 is a set of graphs comparing performance of the subwavelength mirror embodiments shown in FIGS. 13-17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is generally related to heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), also referred to as energy-assisted magnetic recording (EAMR), thermally-assisted recording (TAR), thermally-assisted magnetic recording (TAMR), etc. In a HAMR device, a near-field transducer (NFT) concentrates optical energy into a tiny optical spot in a recording layer, which raises the media temperature locally, reducing the writing magnetic field required for high-density recording. A waveguide delivers light to the near-field transducer and excites the near-field transducer.

One challenge in developing in HAMR products involves wear of the optical components that can make impact life of the drives. One cause for this is separation of parts and voiding within regions surrounding the NFT. The optical components in this region are subject to high temperatures and may become oxidized, which can cause voiding or separation of some materials. A HAMR write transducer described below uses a subwavelength mirror that overlaps part of the NFT in an area near the air bearing surface (ABS), which may also be referred to herein as a media-facing surface. Generally, the subwavelength mirror has dimensions along its reflecting surface that are smaller than the wavelength of the incident light (e.g., 830 nm).

The subwavelength mirror focuses incident waveguide light onto the NFT to assist waveguide-NFT coupling. The subwavelength mirror also functions as an optical side shield to block background light. Therefore, the laser current used for writing can be reduced and thermal gradient improved. In order to obtain optimum optical performance, the mirror is made from a material such as Au that is a good optical and thermal characteristics. However, it has been found that Au and similar plasmonic materials are subject to degradation in the NFT region. Therefore, the present disclosure describes to additional features to increase robustness and durability of a subwavelength mirror.

In reference now to FIG. 1, a perspective view shows a read/write head 100 according to an example embodiment. The read/write head 100 may be used in a magnetic data storage device, e.g., HAMR hard disk drive. The read/write head 100 may also be referred to herein interchangeably as a slider, head, write head, read head, recording head, etc. The read/write head 100 has a slider body 102 with read/write transducers 108 at a trailing edge 104 that are held proximate to a surface of a magnetic recording medium (not shown), e.g., a magnetic disk.

The illustrated read/write head 100 is configured as a HAMR device, and so includes additional components that form a hot spot on the recording medium near the read/write transducers 108. These HAMR components include an energy source 106 (e.g., laser diode) and a waveguide 110. The waveguide 110 delivers electromagnetic energy from the energy source 106 to a near-field transducer (NFT) that is part of the read/write transducers 108. The NFT achieves surface plasmon resonance and directs the energy out of a media-facing surface 112 to create a small hot spot in the recording medium.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, respective cross-sectional and wafer plane views of the slider body 102 show a light delivery system according to an example embodiment. The slider body includes an NFT 208, a magnetic writer 210 and a micro-sized focusing mirror 212, referred to herein as a subwavelength mirror, subwavelength focusing mirror, subwavelength solid immersion mirror (SIM), mini-SIM, etc. Light, emitting from the laser diode 106, is coupled into a three-dimensional, single mode channel waveguide 110 by a waveguide input coupler 206, which directs the light to a waveguide core 200. The input coupler 206 is replaced by a bottom cladding layer 207 towards the media-facing surface 112. Note that other waveguide and input coupler arrangements may be used with the NFT 208 and mirror 212.

The NFT 208 has an enlarged part with two curved ends 208 a-b and a protruded peg 208 c. Other shapes may be possible for the enlarged part of the NFT 208, e.g., rectangular, triangular. The NFT 208 is placed proximate a side cladding layer 204 and top cladding layer 202 of the waveguide 110 and near the waveguide core 200. The NFT 208 could be also placed into the waveguide core 200. The NFT 208 achieves plasmonic resonance in response to the light coupled via the waveguide 110, and creates a small hotspot 220 on a recording medium 222 during recording.

A magnetic reader 224 is shown down-track from the NFT 208 and writer 210. The magnetic reader 224 may include a magneto-resistive stack that changes resistance in response to changes in magnetic field detected from the recording medium 222. These changes in magnetic field are converted to data by a read channel of the apparatus (e.g., hard disk drive assembly).

As best seen in FIG. 3, the subwavelength mirror 212 includes reflective metallic portions 212 a-b on either crosstrack of the NFT 208. The mirror portions 212 a-b focus the incident waveguide light to the NFT 208 to assist in waveguide-NFT coupling. The mirror portions 212 a-b can also function as optical side shields that block background light from exiting the media-facing surface 112. The subwavelength mirrors described below utilize combinations of soft plasmonic materials and hard materials that help improve performance and life of the recording head 100.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, diagrams illustrate details of a subwavelength mirror according to an example embodiment. The diagram in FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from the media-facing surface 112 and the diagram in FIG. 5 is a plan view on a substrate-parallel plane. The subwavelength mirror includes a pair of subwavelength focusing mirrors 400 at an end of the waveguide 200 proximate the media-facing surface 112. The subwavelength focusing mirrors 400 are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer 208 and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap 404. The width of crosstrack gap 404 may be less than a corresponding crosstrack width 406 of the NFT 208. As seen in FIG. 5, the near-field transducer 208 extends a first distance 500 away from the media-facing surface 112 and the mirrors 400 extend a second distance 502 away from the media-facing surface that is less than the first distance 500. For example, the second distance 502 may be less than half of the first distance 500.

Each of the subwavelength focusing mirrors includes a first material 400 a at the media-facing surface 112 and a second material 400 b (e.g., a plasmonic material) facing away from the media facing surface 112 and in contact with the first material 400 a. In this example, an interface 400 d between the first and second materials 400 a, 400 b is parallel with the media facing surface 112. In other embodiments, the interface between the first and second materials 400 a, 400 b may be at an angle to the media-facing surface 112. The first material 400 a is more mechanically robust than the second material 400 b. A liner 400 c coats an edge of the subwavelength focusing mirrors that faces the near-field transducer 208. As seen here, the liner 400 c covers both the first and second materials 400 a, 400 b and extends into the gap 404.

The second material 400 b and liner 400 c may include the same or different material. The second material 400 b (and optionally the liner 400 c) may be a plasmonic material with good optical characteristics such as Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys. In some embodiments, the liner 400 c can be made of hard material, such as Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys. The hard, first material 400 a is presented at the media-facing surface 112 for ABS protection and design robustness, and may include such materials as Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys. The soft plasmonic materials 400 b, 400 c are inside the media-facing surface 112 for better optical coupling and thermal conduction. The liner thickness 402 may be from 1 nm to 25 nm.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, a set of graphs show results of an analysis performed on the mirror arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with a liner 400 c formed of a soft plasmonic material, Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys. There is a slight drop in thermal gradient (TG) with thicker soft plasmonic liner. The NFT temperature (NFT ΔT) and mirror temperatures (mSIM ΔT) drop with a thicker soft plasmonic liner 400 c. The liner thickness 402 has little impact on laser current (Ieff). In FIG. 7, a set of graphs show an analysis performed on the mirror arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with a liner 400 c formed of a hard material, such as Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys. The NFT and mirror temperatures go up with thicker hard material liner 400 c, as does the required laser current. Though the temperature is higher in this case, this design may have better robustness than one with a softer plasmonic material liner 400 c.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, diagrams illustrate details of a subwavelength mirror according to another example embodiment. The diagram in FIG. 8 is a perspective view seen from the media-facing surface 112 and the diagram in FIG. 9 is a plan view on a substrate-parallel plane. The subwavelength mirror includes a pair of subwavelength focusing mirrors 800 at an end of the waveguide 200 proximate the media-facing surface 112. Each of the subwavelength focusing mirrors includes a first material 800 a at the media-facing surface 112 and a second material 800 b facing away from the media facing surface and in contact with the first material 800 a. The first material 800 a is more mechanically robust than the second material 800 b. This embodiment has no liner comparable to what is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The second material 800 b may include a plasmonic material with good optical characteristics such as Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys. The hard, first material 800 a is presented at the media-facing surface 112 for ABS protection and design robustness, and may include such materials as Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys. In other embodiments, the first material 800 a may be ceramic materials as ZrN, TiN, etc., or a magnetic material such as Fe, Ni, NiFe, FeCo, or alloys thereof. The soft plasmonic material 800 b is inside the media-facing surface 112 for better optical coupling and thermal conduction.

One parameter that can affect performance of this and other embodiments is the crosstrack gap 802 opening between the mirrors 800. In FIG. 10, a set of graphs show results of a simulation using various values of the gap 802 (labeled “SIM opening” in the graphs). These graphs generally show a higher downtrack thermal gradient (DTTG) with a narrower opening. The NFT and mirror temperature will increase if that gap 802 is too small, and laser current will also increase for a smaller gap 802. These gap dimensions may also be used for embodiments with a liner as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as well as embodiments described below.

Another parameter that can affect performance of this and other embodiments is the height 900 of the second material 800 b as it extends away from the media-facing surface as shown in FIG. 9. In FIGS. 10 and 11, a set of graphs show results of a simulation using various values of the height 900. Higher NFT and mirror temperatures are seen with larger height 900, and laser current will also increase with larger height 900. Thermal gradient is not particularly sensitive to the height 900. These height dimensions may also be used for embodiments with a liner as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as well as embodiments described below.

In FIG. 12, a diagram illustrates details of a subwavelength mirror according to another example embodiment. In this example, subwavelength focusing mirrors 1200 are at an end of the waveguide 200 proximate the media-facing surface 112 and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap 1202. Each of the subwavelength focusing mirrors 1200 includes a first material 1200 a at the media-facing surface 112 and a second material 1200 b facing away from the media facing surface and in contact with the first material 1200 a. The first material 1200 a is more mechanically robust than the second material 1200 b, and may include any of the mechanically robust materials described above. Similarly, the second material 1200 b may include any of the plasmonic materials described above.

In this embodiment, the first material 1200 a protrudes into the gap 1202 further than the second material 1200 b. This results in a discontinuity 1200 c (e.g., a non-smooth transition) in edges of the mirrors that face the NFT 208. In this way, the protrusion of the first material 1200 a acts as an optical side shield. By extending the first material 1200 a this way, the gap 1202 can be decreased to less than 100 nm, or even less than 50 nm. As indicated by dashed lines 1204, a liner as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 may optionally be used with this embodiment.

In FIGS. 13-17, perspective cutaway views show various optical side shield embodiments according to various embodiments. In each of these figures, side shields are extensions from first material parts 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 of a mirror that is joined to a second material part 1300, the second material part being formed of any plasmonic materials as described above. For all of these embodiments, a recording head would include a mirror-image first and second material parts on an opposing crosstrack side of the NFT 208 separated by a gap 1304. The first material parts 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 may be made from any robust, hard material as described above. All of these embodiments may be used with a liner as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

In FIG. 13, a first material part 1302 has a protrusion 1302 a that extends into an inter-mirror gap 1304 in the crosstrack direction. The downtrack dimension of the protrusion 1302 a matches that of the NFT peg 208 c and is aligned with the peg 208 c in the downtrack direction. In FIG. 14, a first material part 1400 has a protrusion 1400 a that extends into the inter-mirror gap 1304. The downtrack dimension of the protrusion 1400 a nearly matches that of the entire NFT 208 and is roughly aligned with the NFT 208 in the downtrack direction. The protrusion 1400 a does not quite extend to the waveguide core 200 in the downtrack direction, as indicated by gap 1402.

In FIG. 15, a first material part 1500 has a protrusion 1500 a that extends into the inter-mirror gap 1304. The downtrack dimension of the protrusion 1500 a matches that of both the NFT 208 and waveguide core 200, such that the protrusion extends into the waveguide core 200. In FIG. 16, a first material part 1600 has a protrusion 1600 a that extends into the inter-mirror gap 1304. The downtrack dimension of the protrusion 1600 a extends into and matches that the waveguide core 200 only, with which it is aligned in the downtrack direction. In FIG. 17, a first material part 1700 has a protrusion 1700 a that extends into the inter-mirror gap 1704. The protrusion 1700 a extends the full length of the mirror portion in the downtrack direction, matching a downtrack dimension of the first material part 1300.

In FIG. 18, graphs 1800-1802 show analyses of the different protrusion designs in FIGS. 13-17, as well as a non-protruding design as shown in FIG. 8. For these analyses, the NFT temperature, downtrack TG, and laser current were determined for different ABS opening sizes, which here refer to the minimum crosstrack distances between opposing protrusions on either side of the gap 1304. Note that in graph 1802, only the minimum and maximum current curves are labeled for purposes of maintaining clarity in the drawing. With design having a protrusion that matches the NFT sides and waveguide as shown in FIG. 15, TG is same as full protrusion shown in FIG. 17. The NFT Temperature can be 20-30K lower with a protrusion that matches the NFT sides and waveguide as shown in FIG. 15.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes, amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings disclosed herein. The use of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range (e.g. 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5) and any range within that range.

The foregoing description of the example embodiments has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Any or all features of the disclosed embodiments can be applied individually or in any combination are not meant to be limiting, but purely illustrative. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description, but rather determined by the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A recording head comprising: a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head, the near-field transducer extending a first distance away from the media-facing surface; a waveguide that overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer; and a pair of subwavelength focusing mirrors at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface and extending a second distance away from the media-facing surface that is less than the first distance, the subwavelength mirrors on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap, the subwavelength focusing mirrors each comprising: a first material at the media-facing surface; and a liner that covers an edge of the subwavelength focusing mirror that faces the near-field transducer, the liner formed of a plasmonic material, the first material more mechanically robust than the plasmonic material.
 2. The recording head of claim 1, wherein the crosstrack gap is less than 300 nm.
 3. The recording head of claim 2, wherein the crosstrack gap is less than 100 nm.
 4. The recording head of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises one of Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys.
 5. The recording head of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises one of a ceramic material or a magnetic material.
 6. The recording head of claim 1, wherein the plasmonic material comprises one of Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys.
 7. The recording head of claim 1, wherein each subwavelength focusing mirrors further comprises a second material stacked on the first material, the second material facing away from the media-facing surface, the liner covering the second material at the edge of the subwavelength focusing mirror.
 8. The recording head of claim 7, wherein the second material comprises one of Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys.
 9. The recording head of claim 7, wherein the first material protrudes further into the crosstrack gap than the second material.
 10. The recording head of claim 9, wherein the protrusion of the first material into the crosstrack gap causes the subwavelength focusing mirrors to function as optical side shields.
 11. A recording head comprising: a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head; a waveguide that overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer; and a pair of subwavelength focusing mirrors at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing, surface, the subwavelength mirrors on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap, the subwavelength focusing mirrors each comprising: a first material at the media-facing surface that comprises one of Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys; and a liner that covers the first material at an edge of the subwavelength focusing mirror that faces the near-field transducer, the liner formed of a different material than the first material.
 12. The recording head of claim 11, wherein the liner is formed of a plasmonic material.
 13. The recording head of claim 12, wherein the plasmonic material comprises one of Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys.
 14. The recording head of claim 11, wherein the liner has a thickness between about 1 nm to about 25 nm.
 15. A recording head comprising: a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head and having a peg extending towards the media-facing surface; a waveguide that overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer; and a pair of subwavelength focusing mirrors at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface, the subwavelength mirrors on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap, the subwavelength focusing mirrors each comprising: a first material at the media-facing surface; a liner that covers the first material at an edge of the subwavelength focusing mirror that faces the near-field transducer, the comprising a plasmonic material, the first material being more mechanically robust than the plasmonic material; and a protrusion that extends into the crosstrack gap towards the peg of the near-field transducer, the protrusion having a downtrack dimension that is less than that of the subwavelength focusing mirror.
 16. The recording head of claim 15, wherein a downtrack direction of the protrusion is approximately equal to a corresponding downtrack dimension of the peg of near-field transducer, the protrusion being aligned with the peg of the near-field transducer in a downtrack direction.
 17. The recording head of claim 15, wherein a crosstrack opening between the protrusions of the subwavelength focusing mirrors is less than 300 nm.
 18. The recording head of claim 17, wherein a crosstrack opening between the protrusions of the subwavelength focusing mirrors is less than 100 nm.
 19. The recording head of claim 15, wherein the protrusions of the subwavelength focusing mirrors function as optical side shields.
 20. The recording head of claim 15, wherein the first material comprises one of Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, or their alloys and the plasmonic material comprises one of Au, Ag, Cu, Al or their alloys. 